“Black weizenbock brewed for carwyn cellars black box 2023.”

Glassware: Dimpled mug.

Appearance: Watch your pour on this one folks. It was hardly an aggressive pour and it literally came out 95% foam. Quite a dark number though…cola-like complexion. Unfortunately no lace on which is a shame considering the whole glass was filled with head at one stage.

Aroma: We’re being forced to take whiffs from the can as the glass still holds 40% head. We are picking up a pleasant smokiness which rolls nicely into fairly heavy roasted malt, molasses and coffee notes. It offers a good amount of yeast ester – heady clove and or nutmeg, choc-coated banana and orchard fruits. Diggin it.

Flavour: Our initial concern was the overcarbonation and it turns out our concerns are valid. Besides that the flavour profile is quite good, we get big roasted malts upfront, light smoke and coffee in support. The spice and fruit from the yeast integrates nicely and softens the big roasty notes as it finishes charred, spicy and a little funky.

Mouthfeel: As previously stated it’s way too overcarbonated. The 9% ABV was surprisingly well concealed though.

Overall: We’re wondering, as this was a beer for Carwyn’s black box subscription, was it rushed into can and continued to ferment? Unsure. It’s a shame coz behind the Co2 issue is a decent dark Weizenbock.